How different things would be
by brightclaw237
Summary: What would have happened if Brightclaw did find Hunter? If she never did return to the forest to see its destruction? Never bearing a grudge against humans and losing trust in them completely? How will the two tackle the challenges of Vivosaur without having any problems growing up? An AU of Hunter's Grand Adventure.
1. Chapter 1

**Brightclaw237: A prologue of an AU for Brightclaw and Hunter's adventure. Mostly will follow the manga. I only own the angel-hound** s.

Brightclaw, a name that is known throughout many worlds. The tales of this canine is known far and wide across the many planes of reality, of the original angel-hound. Throughout the many different realities, there exist many versions of Brightclaw. Yet there are only two alternate realities where Brightclaw lives the same life, while the experiences are very different. One reality where Brightclaw ends up leading the forest cats to Vivosaur Island, where they are feared by the humans. Having never met Hunter, Brightclaw losy her trust in humans completely.

The other which you will soon see is where Brightclaw actually did find her partner, growing up with Hunter. Having never lost her trust in humans at all. For Brightclaw never returned to the forest to see its demise. Living without knowing what had happened to her old home or her family and friends. The two had left their quiet town at the young age of ten and eight, saying goodbye to Hunter's parents and his little sister as they began their travels around the world. Even though they were young, together they believed that nothing could overpower them or their friendship.

This world's Brightclaw never saw the destruction of her first home. Never losing her trust in humans, but at what cost. Not returning to the forest where she called home still had dire consequences. What happened to the others that lived there. What of Sparky, Yuki, Tangleclaw, or even…Brightshadow. For many years, Brightclaw grew up without knowing what happened to her home, her friends, and her only remaining family. Now at the ages of thirteen and eleven, Brightclaw and Hunter set off towards adventure on Vivosaur Island. With how different this version of Brightclaw's life has been, the future holds many possibilities for the young pup and boy.

 **Brightclaw237: Hope you all enjoy!**


	2. How everything started

**Brightclaw237: Well, here's chapter 1 everybody. I hope you enjoy this AU of Hunter and Brightclaw's adventure. I only own the angel-hounds.**

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I wake up to the smell of salt in the air. For a moment I forget where I am, but the sound of a foghorn from the captain's quarters reminds me that I'm on a boat headed to the one and only Vivosaur Island with my best friend. Turning around, I see said friend curled up and asleep, hiding her face in her tail. I stand up and stretch to shake off any remaining sleep. I then walk over to Brightclaw while getting out my journal.

Dear Journal,

Today is the day! Brightclaw and I are finally headed to Vivosaur Island to become Fossil Fighters. It became our dream to be the best when we first saw Vivosaur Island's comercial three years ago. Sure I had to leave my family at a young age, but Brightclaw had to do the same at a younger age to find me. That's a take for another time though. Besides, bringing up Brightclaw's old home makes her sad for some reason. She keeps telling me that she feels like something bad has happened, and worries about her little brother that she had to leave behind. Not long ago, I discovered that the forest where Brightclaw used to live was completely torn down. I couldn't find any information about other angel-hounds since they aren't technically an actual species known by humans. Brightclaw says that they can only be created two ways, but she doesn't want to tell me how or why. Anyways, if I tell Brightclaw what happened to her home, I don't know what would happen. I can't break her heart like that, her feelings are very fragile. I don't want Brightclaw to leave, I don't want her to be hurt. I see her as an older sister in a way. She has always been there by my side ever since we met. Now I feel like I need to say how we met. Guess I've got no choice, nobody else should be able to read this at least.

I begin to write down the details of how Brightclaw and I first met as the memories flood my mind. I was a smart kid even at the young age of three, but because of that I was bullied a lot.

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Eight years ago…

"What are ya gonna do, shrimp?!" A big kid about five years older than me laughs as he pushes me to the ground.

"I said leave me alone!" I shout, tears streaming down my face as I wipe the dirt off of it.

"Why should I, shrimp?! This is kinda fun!" The bigger kid laughs again. He begins to corner me into a dark area. "Now give me all of your money or else!" He shouts.

"No!" I shout standing up to try and be brave, but the kid just pushes me back down. I don't stand a chance as a three year old against an eight year old. He's much stronger than me in every way.

"What are ya gonna do now? Cry for mommy?!" He laughs. "Go on, cry for help! Nobody will hear you scream!" He laughs.

He's right, nobody will hear my voice from here at all. Yet my body acts on its own, my mouth opening to shout. "HELP ME!" I cry as I am picked up by the collar of my shirt.

The bully looks around and smiles back at me. "Like I said, nobody would hear you." He says as he pulls his fist back for a punch. I close my eyes and wait for the punch to come. It feels like an eternity, but the punch never comes. Instead I hear the bully cry out in pain as I am dropped to the ground. "Let go of me you stupid animal!" He shouts.

'Animal?!' I think as my eyes snap open. I look to see a rusty gray furred fox-like wolf creature attacking the bully. It's about the size of a housecat, pretty small for a dog. The strangest thing is that it is wearing human clothing that fits it perfectly. The animal wore a long sleeved grassy green jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans that don't seem to restrict its movements, and a golden yellow bandana around its neck that seemed to be hiding some kind of necklace. One of the last things the animal has on are a pair of black fingerless gloves with horizontal gray stripes on its front paws. The strangest thing about the animal is the strange white glow from its claws. It's five back claws barely show, but have a faint glow. While the front ten claws shine bright with a white light that almost seems to pulse with power. 'What in the world is that? It can't be a normal animal?' I think as the animal jumps onto the bully's back and kicks him into a wall with its hind legs after springing into to air.

The animal then stares at the bully, as if taunting him. "Why you mangy mutt?!" The bully growls, charging at the small animal. The animal smiles, almost smirking at the bully's anger as he charges at it. Just before the bully can tackle the animal, it springs into the air, leaping over the towering human. The bully then crashes into a group of trash cans lined up for trash day. The animal then walks up to the bully and snaps at him, barring its sharp teeth in a menacing snarl. The bully's expression soon changes from anger to fear at the sight the the animal's sudden aggression. It may look small, but it's teeth look incredibly sharp. Not wanting to risk more than the scrapes and bruises from the impact of the wall and trash cans, the bully slowly maneuvers around the animal as it keeps its gaze on the bully. The bully smiles at me as he is out of the alley. "Have fun with that beast, shrimp!" He laughs.

The animal still gazing at the bully snarls even louder, and the uncovered fur on its pelt stands on end. This last action sends the bully running away in fear. The animal stops its snarling, and it's fur lies flat. My eyes widen in fear as it turns to face me. It begins to slowly pad towards me. My heart beats faster and faster, with each step closer the animal takes towards me. Who wouldn't be afraid of something that can take down somebody much larger than you and it's smaller than you?! When the animal is just centimeters from my face, my entire body is trembling out of fear. Tears streaming down my face, not knowing what to do. "PLEASE DON'T EAT ME?!" I shout, my voice filled with fear.

What happened next is something I would have never believed if I didn't witness myself at such a young age. "Now why would I hurt you? I came to save you from that big brute." A voice barks from in front of me. The voice sounds like that of a girl. I slowly look up and see the same animal.

I look around to try and find the owner of the voice. Maybe the owner of the animal. "Who said that? Do you own this dog?" I ask.

"Now that is quite rude, dude. I am not a dog, that is kind of offensive to me." The animal barks, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

My eyes widen as realization hits me. "You can talk?!" I gasp.

"Well yeah, I'm not a dog, wolf, or fox though. I'm something entirely different." She barks. "The name's Brightclaw by the way. If you couldn't tell by my claws." Brightclaw laughs, showing me her glowing claws.

"What makes your claws glow?" I ask.

Brightclaw looks away for a moment. "That's a really touchy subject for me. I may be five, but a lot of bad things have happened in my life." She barks, her ears and tail drooping. "I almost lost a close friend because of my past, and I don't know where he is." Brightclaw barks. Her ears and tail soon perk up, not showing any sign of sadness. "Anyways, I need to get going. I've got to find myself some food. I can't eat things like rodents, birds, or anything else that wild animals usually hunt." She barks.

"Why not?" I ask.

"I'm part wolf in a way, but I'm also human in a way like you." Brightclaw barks, her ears folding back once more. "Or at least I was human, but I don't have that form anymore." She barks. "Pretty soon, I'll have to return to the forest where my friends and clanmates are. You know, since I couldn't find a place to call home for myself." Brightclaw barks. She has a smile on her face, but her eyes shine with sadness. I get a closer look at her clothes and notice how tattered they are. The bandana has several tears and rips in it. The jacket and shirt are no better having holes, tears, and even loose threads. The gloves and jeans are almost completely worn out, it's a miracle that they haven't fallen apart by now.

"Brightclaw, can I look at your jacket?" I ask.

Brightclaw looks at me, clearly not wanting to hand over a possibly prized possession. Yet she takes the jacket off and hands it to me. Brightclaw doesn't look any better herself. Her short sleeved t-shirt has several large tears on the back, her back fur showing because of the tears. Her fur is matted all over, sticky from garbage and other substances on the ground. Looking even closer at her stomach, I can faintly see her ribs showing through her shirt. Before I could say anything, Brightclaw takes back her jacket and zips it up to hide her suffering. "It's okay, I just haven't had to to take care of myself because of others that needed help or guidance. Once I head back to the forest I'll be fine." She barks, smiling at me. I can see past her lie though.

"How far is your home?" I ask.

Brightclaw sighs and he tears fold back. "About half a year by walking. I don't have the strength to run back, that would not even be safe." She barks. "I've been avoided animal control for so long now. I haven't been able to return because of it." Brightclaw barks, tears in her eyes. "I just want to be home, but I'll never make it at this rate." She sighs.

"What do you do for food?" I ask.

"Roll around in dirt, and beg at the back of fast food restaurants." Brightclaw barks. "Though in this city, not many people will give handouts to something like me. Others usually call animal control and escaping had been getting harder each time." She barks.

Brightclaw turns around to leave, but soon stumbles at the edge of the alley. "Brightclaw!" I gasp. Brightclaw tries to get up, but one of her paws seems to be injured pretty badly. I hurry over to Brightclaw and hold her up, taking the glove off her injured paw. My eyes widen in horror at how badly wounded she is. Her paw is covered in scrapes, fur missing in some places on the paw. The paw itself might be infected by now, and needs immediate treatment. I lift Brightclaw onto my back to carry her home. Thankfully she's not very big, but she seems very light as well. She'll need to eat something soon after being examined. "I'm taking you home, Brightclaw!" I growl, stepping out of the alley. "My mom can help you, she's a vet for animals at a nearby wildlife preserve." I say, struggling to get home. Brightclaw doesn't answer back, so I assume that she's unconscious. By the time I get home, my mom hurries over to me, asking what's wrong and why am I so late. She then sees me carrying Brightclaw, and nods her head in understanding. My mom then carefully takes Brightclaw away from me and heads to her own self built clinic in the basement. Due to how many animals are often abandoned by their owners, or are abused and then rescued from those awful areas, my mom had to set up a clinic of her own in our house. My dad also works at the wildlife preserve, and helps rehabilitate the injured or abused animals. Though Brightclaw, she has a home far away, and mom might send her to the wildlife preserve away from her real family.

It has been over three hours since bringing Brightclaw here. My mom said that the antibiotics that she applied should stop any infections that Brightclaw might have, but her wounds might be too serious even for my mom to stop. Tears fill my eyes as my mom brings me to Brightclaw's side.

I can see her entire back pelt now. Her fur is now clean from the grime and dirt that was trapped between it. Brightclaw's fur color is mostly a beautiful silver gray color. The fur inside her ears, along her belly around her ribs, and at the end of her tail is a snowy white color. Her tail almost looks like a paintbrush with how the white tips it at the end. The only thing that takes away Brightclaw's beautiful features are the many wounds that cover her body. Wounds that are too great to be stitched by normal means. Slash marks that cut deep into her back and legs. Gashes that seem to be from large triangular teeth, bear traps. As well as rope burns from what could only be caused from snares or fox traps. The only things that aren't damage are Brightclaw's claws. They glimmer and shine bright in the dark room, almost as if they were stars in the night sky.

Brightclaw seems to have gotten weaker even after having everything tended to by my mom. My mom says that we can only hold onto hope that Brightclaw can survive the night and hold on till she can be fully treated at the professional clinic at the preserve. Yet I can see it in mom's eyes. She knows that Brightclaw won't be able to make it through the night even after everything she's done. My mom runs a hand through my bright blue hair, trying to reassure me. Mom then places a warm sheet over Brightclaw so she doesn't get any sicker. She then leaves for bed, trying to take me to my room, but I refuse to leave. My mom says not too stay up too late, and to be careful around that wolf.

Even though I had just met Brightclaw today for only a few minutes, it feels like I've known her for a really long time. Seeing her injured like this is very painful. I walk over to the table and hold Brightclaw by her right paw. "H…Hunter?" Brightclaw asks.

My eyes widen in shock, I never told her my name. My mom never said it either, but Brightclaw somehow knew my name. "How did you know my name?!" I ask.

"D…don't r…really know, but…it feels l…like…I've known you…my whole life. Maybe even…longer." Brightclaw barks, her breathing becoming shallow. "All I d…o kn…ow is…that I'v…e been watc…hing…over you the…entire time I've spe…nt here in th…is city." She whimpers in pain. "I am…called an…angel-hound, a guardian of some…sort. Born through the power of both…science and spiritual power. Mostly…spiritual…tho…ugh." Brightclaw barks. "I was searching for something to…protect. That something is you…but it seems like I…found that out a bit too late." She barks. "My power…would…have…healed…these wou…nds without…a trace lo…ng ago, but my power wasn't strong enough…without the person…I needed to…protect." Brightclaw barks. "My power…is stronger…around you, Hunter. My cla…ws glow on…their own, but they…shine brighter around you." She barks. "I'm sor…ry I took so…long to ke…ep you…safe." Brightclaw growls, her eyes slowly beginning to close.

"Brightclaw, don't leave me!" I cry, wrapping my arms around her in a hug. I can feel Brightclaw's pulse getting weaker and weaker. "Please don't, you're the first real friend I've ever made!" I cry, burying my face into her fur. As I continue to sob, Brightclaw's claws begin to shine brighter within the dark room. Soon the entire room is illuminated by the white glow from her claws. The same white light then envelopes Brightclaw's body, seeping into her wounds. I let go of Brightclaw, and watch in amazement as all of her injuries begin to close up one by one. Soon after the wounds close up, fur begins to grow over where the wounds once lie. When Brightclaw's entire body seems to be completely healed, the white light dims down and fades away. The only thing lighting the room is the faint glow from Brightclaw's faintly glowing claws. I place my ear close to where Brightclaw's heart might be, and hear a steady heartbeat. Brightclaw's breathing has also taken on a steady pace as well.

* * *

After all the things I just experienced that day, I had just fallen asleep by Brightclaw's side. When morning came, I told my mom what had happened and was able to convince her to let Brightclaw stay with us. Though Brightclaw and I had to keep what happened secret from everyone around us. After that day, I had begun to act my actual age, while Brightclaw acted like a domesticated wolf. To avoid suspicion, my dad called a friend that was able to make a collar that would appear to translate Brightclaw's barking to actual words. Nobody knew that Brightclaw was actually able to talk for years, long even after leaving home to travel. Now we are almost at Vivosaur Island. I hate to keep up this façade, but I can't let anyone hurt Brightclaw. Not after learning what had happened to her in the past.

I finish writing in my journal and pat Brightclaw on the head. "Soon we will begin a brand new adventure, partner." I say, smiling at the sun rising over the horizon.

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 **Brightclaw237: Well that the end, wasn't too sure about it at first, but I hope you all enjoyed it. How different it was for this Brightclaw instead of the original.**


End file.
